Is belief in God only for the simple minded?

We all believe in something, whether true love, friendships, family, values, morals etc.  We all take truth from something we've heard or learnt about.  Through the internet knowledge can be accessed at a click of a button and we are all subject to information overload; whether truth or deception.  

We are not always sure that what we are reading is the truth or a writer's spin on the subject. So what is truth today? Wow, now that's an interesting question isn't it!  What do you believe and why? What has made you come to those conclusions; through something we've read, from the media, it's what my parents told me, it's what my friend told me etc? Media is so powerful today, it can sway us without any one of us realising it.  We all have reasons to believe what we do.....and finding out what we truly believe is really important. 

I have heard it said many times that Christian belief is to be simple minded and naive.  Talking to fairies in the sky and their imaginations what could be more simplistic and stupid than this notion, especially in the light of evolution and scientific knowledge today.  This may be the perception of belief in God, but is it the truth of the matter?  I challenge this thought,  in that actually most Christians have faith but are not naive to evolution and scientific knowledge. They actually welcome scientific breakthrough and are interested in finding out information. However, this comes with checking out details and understanding the truth of something before jumping to any conclusions either way. 

If you truthfully analyse the data on the universe, it is so finely tuned that it would be impossible for the earth to exist, yet we happen to be here!  The only conclusions scientists can find is the theory of the multiverse (meaning we happen to live in the universe that happened to throw out a win!), or that there may be a higher alien life form that created us (even Richard Dawkins has said this). 

I completely understand that many do not believe in 'God' at all and I respect that completely.  I am only writing this blog to help those who do not believe understand why we do.  So, is it so outlandish and wrong to believe in a creator of all things? Is it so wrong to believe there is something greater than ourselves, giving us purpose to our living?  Is it naive to believe that we are here on earth to get on with the 'greater good'?  The opposite belief is believing we are all here for nothing and we came from nothing - is this also an easy hypothesis to believe in?  People say "oh I can't believe in God, how do we know which God to believe in"; I understand this dilemma but it doesn't take away the fact that God could exist, it is only people that have made it complicated. 

It is historical fact that a man named Jesus once came to earth and claimed he was God's son.  I look at the life of Jesus and he came here to earth to show us an example of what God was like.  He came to help those in need and to heal the broken hearted, he came to show us how we should live.  He came to show us freedom from religion and bureaucracy; to bring life and not slavery.  Jesus came to seek and help those who were crushed.  As we see how Jesus lived and God's heart for people, it spurs us on to take up His example of God likeness. To take on the example of the life He lived.  If this person claimed to be God himself then surely we should be taking this seriously and look into this 'Jesus' with great interest.  With Christmas coming ever closer, it's a great time to ponder on who this Jesus was?  What is the truth of the matter?  Is it time to take a closer look?  Many churches are in existence today across the globe helping people find fresh faith and to understand who this Jesus really was. 

xxx

To infinity and beyond.....thinking BIG

Ever tried to think about something beyond our human understanding? Could you try and think of something that has always been there, it's infinite? There is no beginning or no end, wow this is quite mind boggling and is difficult to get our heads around. As humans we only know things to have a beginning and an end; to think in terms of infinity starts to scare us somewhat!

Infinite, what is the definition?........Limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate, boundless, unlimited, without end, 

cosmic, measureless, immeasurable, fathomless, bottomless, extensive, vast, countless, inestimable, indeterminable, innumerable, numberless, enormous, immense and very rare!

It's interesting to note that cosmologists have suggested that parts of space, certainly within black holes, may warp time, causing time not to exist or exist in completely different ways. Therefore you may see time as one whole part rather than as we know it - past, present and future. Wow, can you image that - no time at all and being able to see everything from beginning to end all at the same time. So what may pass as 50 years on earth may only amount to 5 minutes else where in the universe; such a place would have a very small aging process (take me there please)!

This reminds me of what the bible says about God; that He is infinite and that He is timeless. Rev 1 v 8 - I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord God. “I am the God who is, and who was, and who will come". I can't help but notice that God puts the description in a way we can understand. I am the one who is - present / I am the one who was - the past / I am the one who will come - the future. He exits within all time frames, all at the same time and He is the beginning and end.  If God is infinite and timeless, then it makes sense that His home, heaven, would also be infinite and timeless, so now we can start to get an understanding of what God is saying when He talks about a life everlasting.  It also excites me to know from the bible that heaven is described as a place, where there will be no death and no more sickness, a place I believe where time or age are not important; a place of infinite time. From what we know already about space and time from cosmologists and what the bible describes as the third heaven, this heavenly place may well be somewhere else in the cosmos, in a different dimension and where time is non-existent; where earthly rules do not apply - something to ponder on don't you think?  I suddenly feel very small indeed against infinity and beyond! 

xxx

Enter into worship and enter into healing

Apart from the vast evidence of healings that have taken place during praise and worship services, there is also evidence in the bible that praise and worship can be the environment for healing.

King Saul was distressed by an evil spirit and called for a musician to play so that he could be delivered from his oppression (1 Samuel 16:16, 23). David the young worshiper was called upon and played his harp in Saul’s presence. When we are distressed and down, worship can be a means of renewing our spirits and minds. It's a place where heaven and earth converge, a place where the Holy Spirit (God's presence) can work among people. As we praise God, there is a power that comes. I believe it's a place we can become empowered too for works of service.

New people that come to church for the first time often cry, not in a negative way, but I believe it's because in God's presence, our hidden hurts come to the surface - this is a means of facing our past, a start toward our healing and enables us to move forward! When we express our emotions, God starts healing us pretty quickly. I've had to explain to some about this unexpected emotional journey, because they are not always sure as to why they feel the way they do. In God's presence everything becomes exposed, only for our good not to harm us and in order for us to heal from the inside out! God wants us well, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. We can feed our bodies, but what about our souls? We live in a world where our souls are becoming desolate, it's a no go zone.

May be it's time to address matters of the heart and soul. Make a pact to become well from the inside out, as we do this our hearts can start to live again. The saying goes, 'we are what we eat'. What are you eating today; what are you taking into your heart? What are you believing today? Make sure what you are taking in, is good for you, is feeding you, is nourishing you, is helping you, in making you well from the inside out - not just outwardly but inwardly. Then you can live again and move on from past hurts.

God is in the business of healing us utterly and completely in order to journey this life exceedingly well. I've been in many worship meetings and lead worship myself, in my experience God is definitely in the business of restoring us little by little to be all that we can be. I have been renewed many times during worship sessions! As we open ourselves up to God, we are inviting Him to change us and heal us.  Reach out today to God, call out to him, find your local church - get yourself into a worship service. Many churches offer free pastoral care too, where you are free to talk to them in a confidential manner about issues you face in your life.

Finally, here are some verses to encourage you. xxxx

Psalm - 103, 1-5: Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 71, v 20:  Though I have seen troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honour and comfort me once more.

Psalm 34, 18:  If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.

Psalm 23, 3 - He restores my soul.  

My Year in Photos

The Universal Symbol of Hope

You can't get away from it. It's everywhere. Not just in churches & cathedrals but in homes, in hospitals, in art, films and music videos. We see it around us all the time, at funerals, in the church yard, when remembering war heroes and when remembering our loved ones who have gone before us. And of course, we wear it too, around our necks, on our t-shirts or tattooed onto our skin, it's the symbol of the cross. What would some huge companies do like Starbucks or McDonalds give to own a symbol that countless millions of people acknowledge and recognize, and even wear?

I can think of smiley faces we put on our text and facebook pages and symbols of hearts when we think of love, but I don't think there is a symbol more powerful than the cross.  It is probably one of the few symbols known worldwide. It became a symbol of the Son of God in the 4th Century, once crucifixions were abolished as a form of punishment.  

Although it may draw us to think on death, it is also a symbol of hope. Hope can be scarce in today's world; is there anywhere we can find it?  The cross is a symbol of comfort, but the symbol alone does not give us hope, only the person who went to the cross carries the hope we long for, Jesus Christ. At Easter we can remember that Jesus promises the hope for a better way of life and a better future to come.  So next time you look at a cross, don't forget to think about the man who died there. John 3 v 16 For God so LOVED the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes on Him, will not die but live forever'. The power and significance of the cross was ultimately God's signature of love to the world.

I will leave you with words from C S Lewis about Jesus Christ. "But supposing God became a man, suppose our human nature which can suffer and die was amalgamated with God's nature in one person; then that person could help us. He could surrender His will and suffer and die, because He was man; and He could do it perfectly because He was God.  But we cannot share God's dying unless God dies; and he cannot die except by being a man. That is the sense in which He pays our debt and suffers for us".  When Jesus suffered, God himself shared in our own sufferings, he shared with us in sorrow and in dying. Therefore, He is a God who understands us and knows what it is to be human, knows what it is to suffer and knows what it is to die.  He is a God who can share with us in our sufferings.

EASTER BIBLE READINGS:

John 11 v 25 - Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though they die, yet shall they live."

1 Peter 3:18 - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.

John 10, 17-18 - Jesus said, "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

1 Peter 2, 24 - He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."

3 Reasons Why We Exist

Made for Love

Science can answer many questions for us but it cannot answer the reason for 'why' we exist and is probably one the biggest questions we can ask ourselves.

What is the one thing that every person on the planet has in common; I believe it's this.......we were made for LOVE. We were made to be loved and to give love. This is something that connects all humans whatever age, background and spans all generations. It's a basic human need and is the most amazing thing about life; for most of us, our love for our families, children and friends cannot be equaled.

I believe one of our main purposes is to LOVE whilst here on earth! What an amazing and powerful thing to possess. Something we can give and receive. 

I believe this urge to love, derives from a higher being, God himself. God is LOVE in all it's forms and it has been built within the soul of every single individual. Unfortunately, because the earth is not a perfect place, the love that we hold is often damaged or thrown out.  This is when problems like hatred and other negatives can run wild. You would agree that without love we would be a barren race.   

Made for Relationship
We have been created for friendship.  To share our dreams and lives with others; to help each other, encourage and journey through life in union with others.  This brings us joy, stability and delight.  It has been proven that being alone for very long periods can drive somebody to madness. Obviously, we were born to be in relationship.  

If we believe God created us to LOVE, we must believe He also created us to love Him and receive His love.  

God loves us unconditionally and He created us to love and spend time with Him, that was the purpose of humans right from the beginning in Genesis.  From the moment of man's creation, God's plan was always for us to have a close relationship with Him, to be able to walk and talk together in a union unlike any other we are able to experience here on earth. God has dominion over heaven and He gave us dominion over earth; an awesome kinship between people and God.  Unfortunately, we know this close relationship was broken through Adam and Eve, however God wanted to fix it and did so by sending Jesus.  Jesus' death (God's son) made it possible for our friendship with God to be restored.

But will we love God? He doesn't ever force us to love Him. Some may need to let go of past mistakes and hurts and let God love them back to health again. Nothing anyone can do can stop His love for us, it is always overflowing if we are willing to receive it.  When we are willing to call out to God, He will most definitely answer.  

Made for Worship 
People have often mentioned, why would anyone want to worship God? This is nothing strange to a Christian believer, we don't worship because of the things we might get if we do, we simply worship because He's GOD and we honestly love Him, and He loves us.  Again, it's all about having a relationship; we worship because we love. 

God is not human in a physical sense, it says in the bible that He is spirit, therefore when we come to worship we need to open our hearts and worship him with our spirit and in truth, this means from the inside out, with all our heart; now these are the type of people God is longing for! (John 4, 23) 

When we worship, we allow God's power to work in our lives. The story of Paul and Silas in Jail get's the point over. Acts 16:16- "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying. They were also singing hymns to God. The other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a powerful earthquake. It shook the prison from top to bottom. All at once the prison doors flew open. Everyone’s chains came loose".  This is a picture of our own lives, when we worship, it releases God's power to work in our lives through the Holy Spirit; to break things that may hold us back, to melt away our hurts and heal our hearts.

Although Paul and Silas were in big trouble is prison it didn't stop them singing! Whether we are going through good or bad situations - there is power in praising God, as when we do heaven and earth converge.  (I heard someone once say, it's when heaven and earth kiss). When this takes place something of heaven can meet with us in our humble humanity.  It doesn't always just affect us but can touch those people around us.  Our faith can spark something off in someone else. 

Our lives are just a tiny blip in comparison to the expanse of earth's history, so why would God be concerned about me?  Believe it or not, He is interested in you, knows you and loves more than anything, this is what you were created for. (Luke 12 v 7,  Indeed the very hairs of your head of numbered. Psalm 139 v 18, How precious are Your thoughts of me, O God, how vast is the sum of them. If I should count them, they would outnumber the gains of sand on the beach. John 3 v 16, For God so loved the world, that he gave His only son, that whoever believes on Him will receive eternal life).

Someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, he answered very simply 'Love God and love people'.  Every human has been made for a great purpose, but above anything else we are here to love and be loved!  That is why it is written, "Faith, hope and love remain, but the greatest of these is LOVE." (2 Cor 13)

xxxx

Why is LOVE the most Powerful Force in the Universe?

Happy Valentines Day - you romantics!  We know the saying so well, love is kind & love is patient etc. We see it printed on all sorts of cards and it's a slogan that everyone is familiar with.  Even the recent Disney film 'Frozen' was based on the message of 'true love'.  Not just the romantic kind, but the family kind.  I believe love to be the most powerful force in the universe and everything good in the world is ultimately motivated by love.  So why is this?

Let's look at all the good things in life.  If you really think about it for instance, to forgive someone who has hurt us, it requires a hint of love to be in our hearts, we have to say to ourselves well I don't agree what they've done but I let it go, even if small, it can make the difference.  Without this ounce of love you will be unable to forgive.  Joy and happiness ultimately stems from love too, without feeling loved or giving love we are ultimately joyless, compassion in our hearts can only be developed by love, caring for others more than self requires loving others first & we have to let go of selfishness, when we get annoyed about something our first response is anger, but what if we swap our response with love - wow powerful!  I'm talking to myself here too.  If you struggle with jealousy, what if you swap that response with being happy for people who have more than you - this is also a love response.

Agape means Unconditional Love

What I'm trying to get over here is that everything GOOD in life ultimately is found in LOVE in some shape or form.  When we think of love, often we jump straight to the conclusion we are talking about romantic love, but as you know there are all sorts of different loves; unconditional, affection of family and by friendships!  I know we are human and we all struggle with dealing with our emotions.  Our human love can be difficult and we often let people down.  Having said that, we are wonderful beings who can feel things so deeply.  We are absolutely amazing and we have the power to be amazing too by grasping the concept of love in our lives.

And why is love the most power force in the universe?
 

CHRISTIAN THOUGHTS
Through love we are able to change ourselves and  the world into something beautiful.  Now this is the pinnacle......in the bible it says 'God is Love'?  It's a slogan you just pass off without thinking deeply about it.  We often talk about God's love, however God is more than just being able to give us His love - GOD IS LOVE itself!  

If He is the creator of the universe then this all makes sense to me, that everything good comes from the source of life......God himself.  I have heard stories of those who have gone to heaven after a near death experience and returned to earth, more often than not, they talk of God being all loving, all they could feel was pure LOVE in his presence. The whole bible talks about God's love towards people, the whole christian life is based on love principles, the bible helps us learn about LOVE so clearly, ultimately being Christian ('Christ like') means 'adding love' to all our actions.  I think God is trying to tell us something important about Him, don't you?  Love hasn't just derived from nothing....this all makes sense completely when you realise it's because 'God is Love' and the whole world is based on it, all goodness is based on it too and that's because the person of who God is has been woven into the fabric of humanity. 

To me this proves faith world over.......there is a source to all the good in the world and it is based on love; it is God himself. Even if you don't have Christian beliefs we would all agree that LOVE rules the world, we can just think oh well that's the way it is..... however, to me if God wasn't true this concept of life and love would not correspond with what the bible says about love and about God, but it corresponds perfectly with all we know (see verses below).  Unlike our fallible human love, God's love is perfect and He loves every single person unconditionally.  We have been created to love and to be loved by people and by God.  If you want to know about real love....we need to go back to the source of all loves!!  Wow, this is so profound.  

I'll leave you with the words of Paolo Nutini "it was in love I was created, & in love in which I hope to die, oh I".  Love is enduring to the end.  x

The Way of Love - 1 Cor 13

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.  Love never gives up.  Love cares more for others than for self.  Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.  Love is not proud,  it doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always “me first,” doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the wrongs of others, it doesn’t revel when others fail, it takes pleasure in the truth, puts up with anything, always trusts, always hopes, always looks for the best, never looks back but keeps going to the end!

God is Love - 1 John 4 7-10

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our bad and the damage done to our relationship with God.  

Rom 8 v 38 - I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.


If God loves so much why is there so much hurt, sickness and disappointments when He could fix it?  This is a massive question which I will cover in another blog soon. 

 

Heaven - fairy tale or truth?

This must be the biggest question that crosses everyone's minds, whoever you are and at whatever age - is heaven a real place or is it just fairy tales to make us feel better about death?  Where do we go when we die, is there any hope?   One of life's mysteries is death.......life is so precious and our love and relationships here on earth run so deep. When we lose someone we love it breaks our hearts more than anything.  It's hard to believe that precious life is here one day and gone the next with no retaliation and is no respecter of persons - this is life; we're all in it together.  It's so important that we embrace this wonderful life while we have it, so many times we take it for granted.

We were never meant to die
Every human loves so deeply and I believe that this love is placed within each one of us from the beginning.  This love was never meant to be separated by death, as, according to the bible, we were never meant to die.  Our love for each other and God was suppose to be eternal.  I find it interesting that we only use a very small percentage of our brains throughout our lives, why is this, could it be that we were born for more? Do you feel you were born for more? - I believe you probably do. 

What will heaven be like?
People think believing in heaven is a weak thought and that we are trying to run away from reality.  However, it is not a made up thought, but we know all we can know about heaven when we go to the bible for answers.  The word 'Heaven' appears 580 times in the bible and is the place where God lives.  

The apostle Paul was “caught up to the third heaven,” (2 Corinthians 12:1-9).  If a third heaven exists, there must also be two other heavens. The first is most frequently referred to in the Old Testament as the “sky” or the “firmament.” This is the heaven that contains clouds, sky and atmosphere.  The second heaven is outer space, which is the abode of the stars, planets, and other celestial objects (Genesis 1:14-18).  The third heaven, the location of which is not revealed, is the dwelling place of God. Jesus promised to prepare a place for true Christians in heaven (John 14:2). 

It is a completely perfect place with no evil, no sickness or no dying.  Only goodness and love can live there because God lives there.  If you go there you will also encounter the purest of loves; the source of all human love.  This truth is taken from Rev 4, 21 - 'God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'  And in Rev 22, 3-7, it says, 'No longer will there be any curse (evil & sin). The throne of God and of the Lamb (Jesus) will be in the city (heaven), and his servants will serve him.  There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever'.

Is God to blame for evil things?
Earth is a place between heaven and hell; good and evil can live here and as a result we have to face sickness and death.  However, heaven is a completely different place, there will be no more dying, sickness or anything bad there.  Nothing evil can reside there because it's God's home and a place of only goodness.  Some people unfortunately, blame God for all sorts of bad things and even though I don't understand everything, I know that God is not the source of bad things that happen - this is simply not true.  Bad things and evil are at work here on earth but it is not the work of God. 

How do we get to heaven?  
Something that one can forget it that we have to make a choice to want to go there.  We don't just end up there like most think, we have to decide for ourselves whilst we are still living.  You would never let a stranger into your home would you?  This is the same with God, he has given us a choice and would never force us to know Him.  May be some forget that God is an actual person, although completely divine, can feel and think as we do, after all we were made in his image. 


The God I know is full of love for people, that is why He sent Jesus, his own son to die on the cross. Yes, even God's own son faced death himself, because of the evil of others! When Jesus died however, it gave people a way of getting to heaven.  May I say, we do not need to earn our way into heaven, there is nothing of anything we could achieve ourselves. Only by knowing Jesus, can we get into heaven as he is the only one who can forgive sin and get rid of the evil we are subjected to here on earth.  Once this is gone, we are then one day able to enter heaven.  John 14,6, Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father (God) except through me. 


Whether we believe in Jesus or not, no-one is any better than the other, as I say it is nothing to boast about, as it is only through God's unimaginable grace for the human race. John 3 16 says,  'For God so loved the world, that he gave His only son, that whoever believes on Him will not perish but will receive eternal life'.  For those that are unable to make a decision about heaven for themselves, such as children and the mentally ill, I believe that would be for God to judge not us.  I certainly believe children go to heaven because of this reason.

According to the bible, heaven is a very real place, it's not a fantasy or something to make us just feel good.  It's a place of hope and beauty, a place of rest and peace, joy and happiness.  Hope for humanity - but often the bible is the last place we want to look for it. 

xxx